"I'd rather be low to the ground, as opposed to you fools with your heads in the clouds."
Name
Taur Yamarak. Dwarves do not have this petty 'middle name' that humans do, as they need no reason to carry another name other than their blood name, and their given name.
Nickname
Firebeard and Rubyhammer are both trophy names that Taur has been given. However, nicknames are something that Taur simply won't tolerate; his pride in his name and heritage forbid it.
Age
67, according to humans. For a dwarf, he has only accomplished a quarter of his lifespan.
Sexuality
Heterosexual: it is a dwarf's duty to continue his own lineage.
Species
Dwarven
Occupation
Officially, Taur has no occupation; but if one were to be technical, Master Smith and Combat Trainer would be sufficient.
Likes
Axes/Hammers
His Pipe
Forging/Enchanting
Combat
Jemstones/Jewelry
Pride
Dwarves
The Forest
Being Alone
Training and Mentoring
All forms of meat
Dislikes
Lengthy Social interactions
Bows
Looked down upon
'Parley' with the enemy - easier to just cut them down and move on
Authoritarian figures
Law Enforcement
Humans
Magics (Not his own)
Elves (Long stor-not really. No dwarf really likes elves)
Salads/Too many vegetables
Hobbies
All things related to blood and iron; Forging, Enchanting, and Jewelry Crafting, along with Hunting, Training and Wrestling. Taur also sings, but only dwarvish folk songs.
Fears
Heights - Call it a cliche, but Taur is horrible with heights; what would you expect from a guy that lives his life closer to the ground than some animals? Sure, he can be in a building and be completely fine - it is just that whole 'look over the edge to see how far you fall' part that gets him every time.
Flying - Goes with heights, but also is a fear unto itself. The feeling of motion without being on the ground is horrifying, plain and simple.
Dishonour - "The dwarvish name is something to be proud of at all times, regardless of your bloodline. Tarnish your bloodline, and you no longer can call yourself a dwarf."
Skills and Abilities
Master Ore Manipulator - While not very well known, Taur has inherited his ancestor's blood and their mastery of the art of forging. Whatever you want, Taur can make it - swords, hooks, daggers, scythes, horseshoes, you name it. He knows exactly how to strike metal when it is hot, temper a blade to perfection, and unleash the sucker onto the battlefield. If it was made by Taur Yamarak, it is a blade guaranteed for almost life; unless you break it, to which he will chastise you to no end.
An Eye for Jewelry - Going with the dwarvish tradition, Taur is second to few when it comes to appraising and polishing gems. He can't help it: gemstones are his weakness, his fascination for the shiny stones almost insatiable. He can spot and appraise a stone almost instantly, even if it is covered in mud and broken. Taur will also use his prized gems to create jewelry, to which he only gives a select few.
Master Enchanter - Dwarves have a subconscious hatred of all magics, yet Taur is a little different. He does hate magics, but enchanting is a form of magic that Taur was born with, so he made use of it. Enchanting can be taken in two different ways: either Taur uses his own magical energy to enchant the object, or he gathers certain magical items to use their energy instead. While his own energy is much more powerful than stealing from somebody else, it can be draining if the enchantment is constant or huge. Now there is a disclaimer on this magic: there are two ways it can be used. For weapons, enchantments must be built into the forging of the weapon, or else it will not hold. An enchantment on a piece of jewelry, however, does not. This is because enchantments of a weapon become part of it: when added afterwards, it throws off the perfect balance that Taur builds it at. A gemstone needs no balance, as it has no need for violence.
Taur keeps this ability of his under wraps however; with the number of enchanters severely dropping as the years go by, Taur doesn't really want orders coming from people that want a hairbrush that washes their hair.
Combat Specialist - As with all smiths, Taur is equally adept at the art of combat - how else could they try out their products? His specialty, however, is in the 'Axes and Hammers' department. He feels more at ease with an axe that can chop down men as fast as it can cut down trees. That doesn't make him useless long range, however, as Taur does know how to throw a hammer surprisingly well. Taur can use almost any close ranged weapon with efficiency, and his ability to wrestle is top-notch. Consider him the honey badger of the Earthen folk.
Combat Assessment - Taur cannot move as fast as an elf, nymph or even a human. So how can he possibly stand up against those with speed, you ask? His ability to read movements and combat situations. While he is no strategist, Taur can see the movement in which another will use by their muscle tensions, stance and weapon position. It allows him to react with just the right movement to counter their attacks, and allow him to fight back. That is, of course, if he isn't fighting hotheadedly...
Durability - Taur cannot dodge, do cute flips, or move with grace. To combat this deficiency, the dwarven people have been given the ability to survive through horrible conditions: Simply put, dwarves 'tank' damage. Taur's greatest resistance is to fire, to which he can be placed in almost oven-like conditions and emerge mildly steamed; make no mistake, however, in thinking that Taur is weak in the cold, as his dwarven body rejects the frigid temperatures to allow him to survive quite well. When it comes to taking damage, Taur is built to survive; his body can take much more damage than a fragile human or elf could. Finally, Taur's endurance is not something to scoff at: since he would get around without a horse, Taur can run for at least a day without getting tired, as dwarves of old could.
Magic Resistance - The real reason why dwarves have disliked magic for centuries is their inability to use it. It isn't jealousy, but simply mistrust in something so foreign. The reason that dwarves cannot use magic is actually because of a resilience to their powers that had been built up throughout their proud bloodline. It only allows them to use enchantment magic (barely even that) but it helps to give a slight edge when fighting against the magics - but that won't stop a fireball, after all. This resistance is more against the affects that magic can induce, such as illusions, restraints, etc.
Weaknesses
Ranged Combat - While Taur can throw a hammer or tomahalk with surprising accuracy, that means absolutely nothing when compared to a bow, to which he cannot use to save his life. As a stereotypical dwarf, he cannot use a bow very well. This is the only case in which he can build one, but not use it.
Magic - His magic abilities aside, Taur has no abilities in magic that allow him to attack nor defend. He is quite ineffective in this sense, so don't bother trying to pit him against a mage with range.
Fighting Stiff - As stated above, Taur isn't fast compared to the others, which puts him at a serious disadvantage against a fighter who specializes in speed. While he can hold his own, his temper cannot flare in the slightest if he even hopes to succeed.
Jewelery - As stated before, the things are his weakness: why else do you think he is going on this asinine quest?
Temper - Taur is a 'chop feet off first, speak later' type of character. While his ability to fight is impressive, he would rather attack a diplomat than try to converse with him. His short fuse also gets him into some very awkward situations that a level-headed person would freak out about. Finally, this short temper of his disallows for rational thought, so he fights in his 'rage' mode so to speak, in which he replaces his ability to assess a combat with absolute brutish strength.
Equipment
Weaponry - Taur has his trusty battleaxe - double sided and fit to slice humans, bash trolls and chop wood. On his side include a hatchet/tomahawk (read more about said weapon in his history) along with his trusty hammer, which is used to create swords and chaos alike. All of his weapons are enchanted, but he refuses to state what kind. None of his weaponry has a name, as he believes it takes away from the person wielding it. Naming your weapon is stupid.
Steed - Normally, Taur walks where he needs to go; he isn't afraid of how high he is on a horse, he just finds them to be a burden. However, this isn't a trip across the forest, this is a trip being made across the map. So Taur saddled up Mira, his pack horse that is usually used for carrying raw materials and such, for the journey. Sure, she isn't much of a speed demon, but Taur knows her; and she won't quit regardless of the situation, which is why Taur has a fondness for her.
Provisions - As a man who wanders and drifts quite frequently, Taur is one that packs light, regardless of the length; hence the reason why he is not carrying any other bags besides the one on his saddle. The contents are meager, as they include a paring knife, some cloth, and some veggies for his horse. Everything else is expendable, and not needed.
Clothing - Taur dresses in the traditional dwarven garb of furs and chain mail, regardless of the situation.
Other Objects of Interest - This is where things are a little more interesting: on his person, Taur carries a few valuables that he likes to keep hidden. For example, a few gemstones are hidden within his clothing (secret pocket, so even if he is attacked by bandits they won't find it). While they are highly valuable, they are also precious to Taur for other reasons, ones that he refuses to share. His spy glass is also within his clothing, to examine rocks he comes across and to assess their value. The only other object that Taur carries is his pipe, which is usually found in his hand instead of holstered.
Personality
[Short Tempered][Blunt][Hot Headed][Proud][Mentoring][Opinionated][Reclusive/Elusive][Philosophical][Independent][Impatient][Rough]
While a simple man, Taur is hardly a simple man to get along with; after all, how easy is it to get along with a stubborn, yet elusive dwarf?
To begin, Taur is a dwarf with a hammer-like approach to words: blunt force trauma. Beating around the bush or trying to sugar coat things are nowhere to be found - instead, Taur plans on telling you exactly how it is from his point of view, no matter what. His bluntness can either be a hindrance or a blessing, depending on his mood for the day, which can be triggered quite easily. See, Taur has little to no patience for other people; man especially. If he has a problem with something, he will make it instantly known, regardless of the feelings of the other party. Make no mistake, however: almost anything can set him off on a tangent, from a major screw up in materials to a simple mistake in fighting technique. While his ability to be quickly angered is easily taken advantage of, Taur has his trusty pipe to calm him down if he feels like the situation might get out of hand: well, that and a few friends.
The reason for his hot headed, quick tongued, easily annoyed attitude stems not only from his opinionated nature, but also because of his pride. Taur won't hesitate to voice the pride he has in his heritage, even if his bloodline is nothing really to be special about; he simply carries his darvish pride loudly. While he won't say it, Taur actually does see dwarves as a superior race to man, even if a few of them are a good lot. Taur especially dislikes elves, mostly because of their constant need to be flitty and unreliable - but Taur has been proven wrong on many occasions, which he grudgingly remembers. This has caused Taur to have a general dislike for most other races of mortal people, instead of a bigoted hatred.
So how can such a fiery dwarf survive outside of the lands of the dwarves? Simple: Taur lives alone. His opinionated nature, along with his feisty retorts, aren't very well received in many villages, regardless of masterful talents. So instead of bothering with interactions with people he would rather smack with a hammer, Taur keeps his opinions and himself, to himself. It isn't that he hates people, he just finds being social to be a waste of time; besides, from personal experience, he has found that mankind looks down upon his kind, which makes it somewhat odd for him as he looks down on most of mankind. Being alone with few social interactions has caused Taur to mature much more than he would have back in dwarvish country: so much so that he has become almost mystical and philosophic. Besides, if he was readily available to the public, more people would begin to catch onto his talents, and he would rather that not happen: his maturity has grown accustom to a solitary life.
Overall, Taur is an interesting little fellow with a lot of fire in his belly, but a quizzical head on his shoulders to offset it - like a fiery mystic.
History
Taur wasn't always the rugged loner that he is today: in fact, he was a budding protege back home in the Dwarven hills of Lower Glarmion. Back home was where dwarves and giants lived hand in hand, minding out the riches in the catacombs of the mountain and forging the greatest steel in the lands. Taur was born the 4th of eventually 7 dwarven children under the Yamarak banner; which is suffice to say that 7 children were born to be the working class. Yep, Taur was born an average joe of the dwarves, with no special blood to have him rise to the top. Needless to say, however, that his pride was still healthy. When he was barely a pup of 6, Taur's father began to teach him the family trade of being one of hundred smithys of the dwarven mines - receive the ore from the miners (most were either Giants or dwarves desperate for work), and begin to change it into anything metal related. At first, his job was to run the billows, which is a fancy term for keeping the magma flowing, right for the rest of the workers. Taur wasn't allowed to wield a hammer until he could life four over his head with one hand.
Once he did, however, Taur realized something was off; sure his abilities were noticed almost instantly by his father, and he was praised as being a natural by many, but Taur didn't feel complete. Even when some of the royal families came by during the smithing competitions to notice his work, Taur felt like there was more to smithing that just creating weapons and tools of steel. His emptiness couldn't even be filled by the upgrades to finer metals when he was only 14. His mother caught onto his emptiness almost instantly, and tried to console him, but to no avail: Taur couldn't shake the feeling that he should be doing more with his life.
That moment was complete when he accomplished two things: stole the priceless gemstone of House Tamrok, and awoken his abilities as the Enchanter. Now 24and still a fledgling (to a dwarf, you were not treated as an adult until at least 50 years of age, as dwarves live 4x the length of the average human) Taur decided to find out what he was missing by himself. Dared by a few of the other apprenticies, Taur planned a daring heist; steal the precious Topaz of Tamrok. The stone was 99.99% pure topaz, and weighed almost 5 pounds and had been the symbol of the Tamrok family for generations. Now, Taur had a thing for gemstones at this time period: nearly every dwarf did, but Taur had a unique obsession with stones. If he hadn't tried this heist, he probably would have grown up to be a master Jeweler, renowned throughout the world. Instead, he went along with the few others who insisted that the Tamrok be taught a lesson for trying to strip dwarves of their rights. In reality, Tamrok were trying to improve the working conditions for Giants, who had recently complained that accidents were occuring in the mines, since they could not see the small dwarves that felt the need to run near their feet.
To make a long story short, Taur failed miserably; the heist had been horribly planned and horribly executed. Speaking of executed, most of the others were on the spot, as it turned out they were a little more than planners, but were radicals who hated the giants. Upon realizing that Taur had been used, you would think the Tamroks would have forgiven him; well, you would be wrong. They convicted him of a grand felony, but instead of death Taur would receive exile. Taur watched horrified as he was dragged away to the forges to create his last item - as it was custom for exiled dwarves to be given one last opportunity to create something of use before thrown into the outside world.
As he hammered away, the bitterness of his exile began to bubble through him, and he began to curse in ways he had never heard himself speak before; it was almost songlike the way he swore. The thing was, as he hammered away at the hatchet he planned to make, it began to morph ever so slightly at his words. Shocked, he stopped speaking to stare at the blade in confusion, before continueing. Again, the need to curse rose up through him, but instead of cursing, his words came out in strings that he did not understand, and once again the blade began to glow and morph. The guard behind him hadn't been paying attention before, but was now mystified by Taur's work. When he had finished, the blade of the axe was tinted a sickening red, warping to fit his hand perfectly. The guard's eyes glazed over, and only muttered one word to Taur: 'Enchanter'. Taur had heard stories of the Enchanters; dwarves with the born gift to magically enhance weaponry and items to give them special properties. They were given great status amongst the folk, almost to royalty, but ultimately were worked to death as the demand for their trade turned them into cretins. No enchanter lived past 125, usually found dead by suicide, the most dishonorable way to die.
The guard began to run for the door, almost about to scream for joy, when an axe split into his skull from behind; Taur, unsure of what exactly drove him, had killed a fellow dwarf, solidifying his exile and possibly his execution. Which is precisely why he made a break for the surface. Few recognized him as he blurred through the city, climbing higher and higher until he reached the first guard outpost. When they asked where his personal guard was, he stated he did not need one, and was perfectly fine in exiling himself. While that earned him a smack across the face, they shoved him through the outpost, but not before branding his forearm with the symbol for traitor: it was only a symbol used within dwarven kingdoms, to avoid those overworlders from recognizing a traitor and taking him in under the pretense of pity. Within a few moments, the doors of the outside world opened, blinding Taur as they shoved him outside the large doors.
Taur was now in the region that the world called Coruneon, but he didn't know that. Dwarves never learned of the outside world if they didn't need to - few barely even cared to see the sunlight, with the few that did being the traders and convoy runners. Now Taur was faced with a decision unlike what he was used to: travel left and possibly die, or right and possibly die. It didn't matter, so Taur went right of his position and simply walked. This continued for days as he learned of the outside world: what was safe to eat, what wasn't, what to kill and what to avoid. Taur nearly died more than a few times when he realized that he could not swim, so he stole a boat to get across the small strait that separated the two areas he was going. If it wasn't for his resilience to the elements, Taur probably would have died: sure, exiles got a few provisions, but those were long gone when he made it to an area called the Sypius Plains.
To shorten a lengthy story, Taur ventured through the plains, using the goods he had either stolen or bartered from other travelers and such to make his way to the top right of the Cawanor mountain range, to which Taur gave a breath of relief. He had missed the familiarity of mountain ranges - at least they contained stone that he understood. But he felt his brand, and knew that the dwarven community would instantly reject him if he entered their halls for provisions. So Taur had to outsmart his own people, which turned out to be fairly easy when he stated that his business was to cross to the other side. Oddly enough, his brethren just opened the path, and stated that he was a fool for bothering to go to that forest. He didn't care, however: a forest meant that there would be things to hunt for food, which was something that was becoming scarce.
So began Taur's life on the fringes of the Legon forest. He set up shop there, where the mountains met the treeline; he found the best place to set up shop being underneath a small rocky overhang. After the hut was built, Taur began to build his own forge - after all, what good was a dwarf without a hammer and steel? He made a deal with the Giants to get him the excess ore, but they were wanting payment, and Taur simply had no funds. This would be the beginning of Taur selling his services to the local human populations, which would get him the reputation as the Forest dwarf. He would emerge from the forests, provide his smithing services to the towns, and disappear just as fast as he arrived. He actually became quite in demand for a while, but nobody could ever track him down; few rarely ventured into the forest, and were too superstitious to ask the native population for his location.
Taur was content with this lifestyle, living out underneath the sky as he traveled with only a hammer and his wits. The years would change him, the constant time outside the mountains almost taxing on his little soul, making him seem and feel older than he truly was. Along his journey, he would come across many new things that he would have never learned about as a mountain dwarf: the existence of nymphs, survival of forest life, the politics of the species, the religious annoyances of the humans. He would even become the mentor of a small human boy, who he would eventually mentor and train in the art of battle at the age of twelve. Truth be told, that kid was the only human contact he could stand and anticipate, no matter how hard of a time Taur would give the kid.
Overall, the elusive dwarf enjoyed his lifestyle on the outside world; it had its problems, but Taur was finally finding himself in a rhythm that he could stand and accept as his life. Until a certain friend of his came with promises of riches: more specifically, the jewels that were being held by a certain dragon that had taken a queen. Once again, Taur found himself on a mission that he really had no reason to go on; all for the excuse to expand his collection of gemstones.
Other
-Fun Fact! Taur hasn't eaten a salad in years, and refuses one if ever offered
-Fun Fact! To date, he has only killed two people, the one being the guard back at his home mountains.
-Fun Fact! Taur's beard is one of the shortest of the dwarven community - he just can't seem to grow one, and it seriously bugs him.